Date wheel setting device



J. v. KUBOVY ETAL 2,687,692 DATE WHEEL SETTING DEVI CE 2 Sheets-Sheet lISnventors /7 V IQfbO V) i /ff V 47/ s a Aug. 31, 1954 Filed Aug. 17,1951 Aug. 31, 1954 Filed Aug. 1'7, 1951 J. V. KUBOVY ET AL 2,687,692DATE WHEEL SETTING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (Inc -neg Patented Aug. 31,1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OF FICE 2,687,692 DATE WHEEL SETTING DEVICEJoseph V. Kubovy and ford, 001111., assignor Stamford, 001111., a 0

Application August 17, 1951, Serial No.

4 Claims. I i This invention relates to particularly to meters.

printing and more date printing in postage printing small opening in thecasing opposite the stopping position of the date printing die throughwhich a skill to operate, and which can be used Without the date wheeltypes.

It is another object of the invention to provide for undershooting orovershooting the desired setting.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of a wheelrotating means located with Robert C. Pitney, s to Pitney-Bowes, Inc.,

Stamorporation of Delaware impairing the visibility of I settingmechanism.

In postage printers mail.

Another object provide date wheel rotating means so arranged that it canoperate from the exterior of the printposition.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is i1- lustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

, gage the wheel 23.

The printing drum H carries on its surface a postal indicia die l whichsurrounds a slidably mounted town die ll within which is also slidablymounted a dater die IS. The dater die includes a month printing wheel2|, two days wheels 23 and Z5 and a year wheel 21. The wheels 2|, 23, 25and 2'! are coaxially arranged on a shaft 29 fixed to the carriage oryoke 3| which forms the foundation of the dater die l9. Detent meanssuch as indicated at 33 in Fig. 1 is provided for retaining each of thewheels at the desired setting.

Operating means is provided for projecting the town and dater dies toprinting position, and for retracting the dater die alone or the townand. dater die together to non-printing position. This means isindicated generally by reference character 35 in Fig. 1 and ispreferably of the type described in detail in the application ofBerthold Knauer, Serial No. 214,750 filed March 9, 1951.

The present invention provides means mounted in the drum H for rotatingcertain of the date wheels to the desired setting. In the form daywheels 23 and 25 only which are provided with such means, since theseare the only wheels which must be moved frequently, and hence the wheelswhere the inconveniences of prior setting arrangements are most stronglyfelt. It will be realized, however, that similar operating means can beprovided for the month wheel 2! or the year wheel El if desired.

The wheels 23 and 25 are, first of all, provided with grooves 31 betweentheir type faces, so configured as to form ratchet teeth and which takesthe place of the grooves normally provided for engagement by a stylus.Below the wheels, and slidably arranged in a pair of parallel bores 39,Al in the yoke 3! are the crossheads Q3 and Q5. The crosshead 43 carriesa pivoted pawl 41 operating through a slot 43 and arranged to en- Thecrosshead 45 carries a pivoted pawl 5i operating through a slot 53 toengage the wheel 25. A coil spring 55 reposes in the bore 39 and engagesthe inner end of crosshead 43. A similar spring (not shown) reposes inthe bore M and engages the inner end of the crosshead A5. The springsact in a direction tending to force the crossheads towards the boreopenings.

The pawls l! and 5| are so configured that in their gravity positionsthey tend toextend beyond the ends of their respective crossheads and topresent a sloping cam face to the corresponding spring. When anypressure is placed on the assembly to compress the springs, the pawls:l'! and 5! are immediately cammed upwardly by the springs to projectthem through their slots 49 and 53 and into operative engagement withtheir respective date wheels.

In order to reciprocate the crossheads :3 and 45 and their pawls M and5!, manually operable plungers 51 and 59 respectively are provided. Theplungers are slidably mounted in suitable openings in. the printing drumH and are urged outwardly by springs such as springs 5! in Fig. 1. Theplungers 5i and 59 are of such length that when retracted by theirsprings they lie wholly outside the town die ll, so that the town die l1or dater die 19 may be retracted whenever desired by the mechanism 35without danger of interference from either of the plungers 51 or 59.When the plungers are manually depressed against the force of theopposing spring, each will finally engage its corresponding crosshead 43or 45 to drive the pawl 41 or iii and thereby the appropriate rotate thecorresponding date wheel 23 or 25 clockwise as seen in Fig. 1. Thisrotation is preferably in the direction of increasing numbers as shownin the drawing. Furthermore, the stroke of the plungers 5i and 59 aftermaking contact with the corresponding crosshead, is preferably arrangedto be such as will produce a movement of the wheel from one number tothe next adjacent number. Access to the plungers is provided by a smallaperture 63 in the tamper-proof housing 13. The aperture 63 is oppositethe plunger ends whenever the drum H is in its stopping position, andmay be provided with a movably mounted closure 65.

In order that the operation of setting the date wheels may be clearlyviewed while it is in progress, and hence be accurately and quicklycarried out, the invention further provides inspection means adapted togive the operator a clear, normal reading view of the date types at alltimes. This consists of a small inspection opening 61 in thetamper-proof housing l3, which opening lies adjacent the stoppingposition of the dater die It, and hence takes the place of the ordinarysetting opening found in the previous stylus-operated devices. Theopening is filled by a closure 59 hinged to the casing is as indicatedby reference character ii. The inner surface of the closure 69 carriesan optical reflector or mirror 13. The parts are so arranged that whenthe closure 69 is positioned approximately as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,the operator is able to see the date types. They also appear reversed bythe mirror (59 so that they are directreading and quite easily legible.

To operate the device of the invention the town and dater dies areprojected to printing position by means 35, and the closures E5 and 59are opened, the latter to approximately the angle shown in Fig. 2. Theoperator then inserts his fingers through the opening 63 and depresseseither the tens plunger 5'! or the units plunger 59, or both, dependingupon the particular date change to be effected. Each depression of aplunger causes feeding of the corresponding wheel one step, and this canbe continued until day setting is arrived at. During this procedure, theoperator is simultaneously watching the rotation of the wheels bylooking into the optical reflector 13. Since the types are reflected ina direct reading position, they are easily interpreted, and nodifficulty is ex perienced in bringing the date wheels to the propersetting without undershooting or overshooting. Once the setting is made,of course, release of the plungers 51 and 5S permits them to retractfully under the influence of their springs, such as spring GI, andsubsequently the dies l1 and 19 may be retracted and projected asdesired by means 35 without danger of interference from the plungers.

While the plungers 51 and 59 have been described and shown as equippedwith springs such as spring M which will retract them automatically whenreleased, it will be understood that this is merely the preferableconstruction and that they may be arranged to operate without suchsprings or their equivalents in which case manual retraction of theplungers 51 and 59 would be required before the town die IT! or daterdie l9 can be retracted to non-printing position.

Having described the invention, what is claimed meter a rotatable havingan opening 1. In a postage printing printing drum; a carriage thereinand slidable in said drum between printing when both the town die andcarriage are in mg and non-pr1nting positions; date printing printingposition and an operating plunger carwheels rotatably mounted on saidcarriage; and ried by said drum, extendable through the town plungercarried by said drum and movable said town die and carriage.

through the carriage opening to engage with and 4 In a postage prm lmeter, a Drlntlng drum drive said device and retracting means supportedhaving a postage indicia die, a carriage having Within the drum andengaging said plungel, an opening therein, an adiustable type wheelhavwhereby the plunger 1s normally retracted to a ing a notched periheral surface and mounted in position clear of the carriage to permitietracsaid carriage, sald calrlage being adJ 110 tion of the carriagewhen desired. place the type wheel in a printing or non-printing :2. [na postage printing meter; a rotatable position relative to the postageindicia die, a printing drum; a town die slidable in said drum pawlengageable with a notch in said type wheel between printing andnon-printing positions and and slidably mounted in the carriage. aplunger with n said town die between printing and nonagainst the pawl toeifect type wheel setting when printing positions; date printing wheelsrotatably the carriage 1s m a printing position and means mounted onsaid carriage, and manually conto urge said plunger beyond the path ofthe contacting device movably mounted on said car- Reffilellces Cited inthe fi this pa e riage and aligned with said town die opening 2 U I EDSTATES PATENTS when both the town die and carriage are in printingposition and an operating plunger car- Number Name Date ried by saiddrum, extendable through the town 16008O8 Dukehart Sept 1926 dieopening, and engageable with said device to 1623478 Jahp 1927 drive thesame when the town die and carriage 1730904 smlth 1929 are in printingposition, said plunger being mov- 2014727 Flood Sept 1935 able to aposition clear of said town die and 325 2 fi g a r a t permlt r ra tlonth f wh n 2,248257 Thatcher July 8, 1941 3. In a postage printing meter;a rotatable 2386442 Davldson 1945 printing drum; a town die slidable insaid drum 2510-350 Ewan June 1950 between printing and non-printingpositions and 2524543 Ryan 1950' having a lateral opening; a carriageslidable FOREIGN PATENTS within said town die between printing and non-Number Country Date printing positions; date printing wheels rotat- 5478 Great Britain 4 1910 ably mounted on said carriage, and manually ucontrolled means for engaging a d rotating one OTHER REFERENCES of Saiddate Whee s, a d means comprising a Serial No. 314,407, Mercier (A. P.0.), published wheel contacting device movably mounted on May 25 943said carriage and aligned with said town die open-

